Don't Let Me Go
by In A Rush
Summary: This is about Shannon's history as well as her different friendships within the team. She is great friends with Christian and are almost like brother and sister so it also gives some insight into him
1. Chapter 1

Don't Let Me Go.

"Hey _Shazza_, how was your night?" Christian asked as they walked into base from the car park.

"Well _Chrissy_, it was pretty relaxing, how about you?" She asked with a smirk on her face.

"Hey you know I don't like being called Chrissy." He says playfully slapping her arm.

"And you know not to call me Shazza yet you still do." She says sending a playful nudge his way.

"Well my night was similar, just a night in with the missus." Christian says as they walk into the changerooms.

"Hey Shannon, there is some guy out the front desk for you." Leon says as he pops his head around the corner.

"Thanks Leon, did he say who he his?" Shannon asks.

"Nope sorry, it's a mystery to me but his adamant that he needs to see you." Leon says before turning around and heading back to his computer.

"Got a boyfriend we don't know about?" Christian asks.

"Bugger off." Shannon says before walking out while Christian starts to laugh and continues getting ready.

Heading towards the front desk where visitors usually have to sign in, Shannon is trying to figure out who would want to see her. After coming up blank she decides to give up and enters the room.

"Hey sweetheart, how have you been?"

" What the bloody hell are you doing here and how did you find me?" Shannon asks outraged.

"Never mind how I found you, it wasn't really that hard, the important thing is that I found you." He says.

"You still haven't answered my bloody question as to why you are here." She says crossing her arms and waiting for a response.

"Can't a father want to see his daughter?" He asks.

"Not in this bloody case." She yells.

"What the hell is all the yelling about, who's pissed off Shannon?" Kerry asks coming out of her office.

"From what I'm guessing it's someone she doesn't want to see." Leon says.

"Hey guys, I see Shannon is pissed off again, what did Lawson do now?" Michael asks as he, Josh and Christian walk in.

"Wait for it." Leon says pointing to Shannon on the video footage and then the door.

"As far as I'm concerned, YOUR NO BLOODY FATHER OF MINE." She yells.

"Someone go and calm her down now before she sends all my staff seeking refuge from her rage under the desks." Kerry says.

"On it." Christian and Josh say before walking towards the direction of the front desk.

"Shan, please calm down sweetheart."

"I won't calm down, you were never there for me or mum when we needed you EVER, mum had to work 2 jobs to support the both of us and make ends meet, and because she had to work because you weren't there to contribute I barely saw her, I was lucky to see her for more than an hour a day, I had to fight to prove to everyone that I was going to excel in my exams and get somewhere I wanted in life, and because of you, I'm still dealing with the mess of a life I had, did you even consider what we went through." Shannon says.

"Shannon…"

"But no, you just had to come prancing on in, at MY WORK mind you as if you even had a right to, I haven't seen or heard from you in TEN YEARS since I finished Year 12, TEN FRIGGEN YEARS, so what do you want, do you need money or something because you can just bugger off already." Shannon says.

"Shannon, I think you should leave for now, talk this over another time." Josh says.

"I don't want to hear what he has to say." Shannon says.

"I will just keep coming her until you talk to me." Her dad says.

"Fine whatever, we will talk some other time just so then you can bugger off again." Shannon says before Josh leads her out.

" Here is our number for tactical response, just leave a message with him and he will pass it on to Shannon, but give her a day or two before you call." Christian says before walking out.

As Michael and Dom are getting changed and gearing up, Shannon walks in and grabs her gear out of her locker before she slams it shut.

"Hey Shan, be gentle, the locker didn't do anything to you." Dom says with a laugh.

Both Michael and Christian shot Dom a look while Josh just shook his head at him.

"How about you let me deal with my locker the way I want to treat it and mind your own business, you don't see me…" she says starting to get worked up.

"Shannon just go to TR2, your not riding in TR1 today." Christian says and she walks out.

"Good call." Josh says to Christian before turning on Dom.

"IF you cross Shannon's path today, just stay out of her way and don't say anything sarcastic to her, you got it?" Josh says.

"Okay, Okay, I know not to mess with her when she is angry, but why is she on the warpath?" Dom asks.

"It's not my place to say but I am sure Michael or Leon will fill you in on all the details they know, we gotta go, Muppet, tell Lawson about the changes, Dom will ride in TR1 instead and if he has any issues he can ring my mobile." Josh says.

"Got it." Michael says.

"Come on Christian let's go, let's go." Josh says before walking out to TR2


	2. Chapter 2

As they were driving around with not much to do, the conversation in TR2 was almost non exisistent. Josh was looking over at Shannon as subtle as he could while she kept her eyes focused on the road. Looking between the two of them and then out through his window, Christian decides to break the silence.

"Sunnyboys anyone, Annie packed three." Christian says.

"Oh yes please, I swear Annie is a legend, I don't know how you managed to marry her." Josh says putting out his hand as Christian handed it over to him.

"Yeah, I ask myself that question sometimes, Shannon do you want one." Christian asks.

After getting no response from her, Christian looks at Josh.

"Hey Shannon, are you paying attention?" Josh asks giving her a slight tap on the arm.

"Huh, yeah course I am, just focused on the road, don't want to have an accident now do we." She says.

"You right to drive?" Josh asks concerned.

"I'm fine to drive, just relax will ya." She says.

"Well do you want a sunnyboy Shan?" Christian asks.

"Nah I'm good thanks." Shannon says.

"Come on, Annie packed a spare one." Christian says cutting it open and handing it to her.

"Fine, I can't disappoint Annie now can I." Shannon says putting it in her mouth and driving.

"Gosh this is bloody good." Josh says polishing his off while Christian and Shannon make their way through theirs.

"TR2 there is an armed hold up at a TAB in Fitzroy, can you attend as TR1 are tied up with another job." Leon says.

"Yep, can do Leon, we are about 6 away." Josh says seeing Shannon's signal of how long it would take.

"Sending through the information I have on it through to you now." Leon says.

"Yep, got it, thanks Leon." Josh says looking through it while Shannon hit's the lights.

"Hold this for me will ya, you can polish it off." Shannon says to Josh handing her sunnyboy over so she can start speeding through.

"Must be my lucky day." Josh says grabbing it off her and putting it in his mouth.

"Yeah you can pay me back later." She says leaving Christian to feel a little puzzled.

Arriving at the TAB and seeing back up surrounding the premises to prevent them from escaping, Josh says to Shannon "You right to negotiate on this?"

"Yeah, it should be a walk in the park; it's not my first time dealing with armed hold ups at TAB's." She replies with a smile while gearing up and putting on a bullet proof vest.

"I want Christian to go and set up the cameras and take up position at the back, I will stay here and monitor everything while Shannon you will need to try and make contact with them." Josh says and they all nod in agreement.

A couple of minutes later, Christian says "All cameras have been set up, and I have taken position at the back."

"Alright, stay there and don't do anything." Josh says.

"Copy that Josh." Christian says.

"Alright Shannon, it's time you called them." Josh says.

After a couple of attempts at calling the place, Josh see's the offenders pulling the phones out of their power points and Shannon says "It's disconnected."

"Shit, now what, it's too volatile to go in there just yet, they are armed with rifles and have too many hostages." Josh says.

"I can always go a little bit closer and yell out to them, see if I can get them to talk or let me in even." Shannon says.

"Your not going in, it's too dangerous." Josh says.

"Well I don't see any other way, plus if they give us the hostages you could always make your way in if it gets out of hand, but I would have my vest on and my weapon, so it would work out, you have no other option Josh, like you said it's too volatile right now, you throw in the gas even and they could end up accidently shooting someone." Shannon says.

"Alright, alright, just be careful okay, they look relatively calm enough." Josh says.

"I will be careful, don't worry about me." Shannon says.

"Alright Christian, Shannon is going to try and get them to hand over the hostages and she will go inside instead, I need you to standby in case we need to intervene." Josh says into his coms.

"Copy that Josh, standing by." Christian says.

"Alright, go for it Shan." Josh says.

Slowly walking towards the TAB, Shannon yells out "I'm Senior Constable Shannon Henry from Tactical Response, I am not here to hurt you, I just want to help, so how about…" and then to gunshots are heard and everyone ducks down.

"Christian, Shannon are you okay?" Josh yells into his coms while the officers start to retreat further back and take up positions behind car doors.

"Christian is okay." Christian says.

"Shannon?" Josh yells into his coms again after not getting an answer

"Shannon." Josh yells trying to push people out of the way.


	3. Chapter 3

"Shannon." Josh starts yelling out.

"Josh what's going on?" Leon asks.

"Shot's were fired, have you got anything off Shannon's camera?" Josh asks.

"No we lost the feed." Leon says.

"Shannon." Josh yells out.

"Josh, we are five minutes away." Lawson says into his coms.

"Copy that." Josh says while pushing through the officers.

Finally spotting her behind a garbage bin, he sees her applying pressure to the arm of the officer who got shot.

"Leon, we are going to need ambos." Josh says while walking over to their position.

"Copy that Josh, TR1, Josh has located Shannon, she appears to be okay." Leon says.

"Copy that Leon." Lawson says.

"Shannon why didn't you respond, we couldn't get a feed off your camera?" Josh says kneeling down.

"My camera must be broken from dropping down onto the ground, then I had to drag Constable Patterson to safety and treat his wound, I'm going to try and make contact again, you take over applying pressure here." Shannon says grabbing his hands and putting it onto Constable Patterson.

"Are you nut's, your not going in." Josh says while pushing down on the wound.

"I am, I will be fine." She says before walking off and leaving him to do nothing but look on.

"Okay guys, pulling the gun on me wasn't nice, all I want to do is to talk, nothing else, just talk, you can shoot at me all you want, you don't scare me, I won't budge." Shannon yells out at the TAB.

"I'm taking your silence as a sign you are now willing to co-operate with me, now connect the phone so we can have a proper conversation, we won't get anywhere with a one sided conversation, all you have to do is to dial a number and it will go through to my phone." Shannon yells out standing there with her arms crossed waiting for the phone to ring.

As the phone starts to ring, she answers "Shannon Henry speaking and you are?"

"None of your business what your name is, how are we going to sort this?" He asks.

"See I don't operate that way, I like to take this to a first name basis, otherwise we won't get anywhere." She says.

"So what, you can do a background check on me?" He asks.

"I can't do that, all the officers are busy right now to do that, and if you looked outside or got someone to do it for you, you would know I am standing by myself so it's impossible to get a background check, you made me damage my coms so I can't talk to anyone from my team." Shannon says as her earpiece is currently out she knows it will work in her favor.

"Alright Shannon, my name is Trent." He says.

"Okay Trent, we can do this two ways, you let the hostages go and I came inside and you guys can deal with me being your hostage, or I can just drop this conversation right now and get my sergeant to give the orders to send the officers in and grab you with force." Shannon says.

"That's why your known as the death squad, all you do is deal with situations with force, you don't try and do it peacefully." Trent says.

"Ah Trent, now I was all for doing this peacefully till you shot at me twice and instead hit a innocent officer, now lucky for you that officer is going to be okay, but I am giving you one more chance to sort this out peacefully, why don't you grab it?" She asks.

"Fine, you can come to the door and we will send the hostages out, no tricks though." He says after a minute of contemplating.

"No tricks, but I don't want any tricks from you either, you send all the hostages out otherwise if you don't I won't play fairly." Shannon says.

"Okay, you have yourself a deal, no weapons though, only your bulletproof vest." Trent says before hanging up.

Shannon takes off her weapons and puts it on the floor before walking over and stands at the door. All of a sudden the door is opened and the hostages are sent out one by one, and then the two offenders grab Shannon and pull her in.

After this has happened, TR1 pull up and they walk towards Josh were paramedics are taking over treatment.

"Josh where is Shannon?" Lawson asks.

"She got all the hostages out for exchange of her, she went inside the building, I don't know what took place in the conversation though." Josh says.

"Alright, Dom I want you to go and check the footage coming through those cameras, Michael you go to the back and cover with Christian, Leon I want that conversation from the mobile." Lawson says.

"Already patched it through to the computer for you Lawson." Leon says.

Josh and Lawson make their way over to where Dom is and they listen to the phone conversation and Michael runs up to them with Shannon's belt.

"She took it off Lawson." Michael says placing it into the boot with the computer they were looking at.

"Yeah we heard it on the conversation, okay, just go to the back door okay, we don't know what their next move will be." Lawson says.

"Dom, Josh, I want you to take up positions near the front door, make sure your covered, we don't need any more gunshot injuries today." Lawson says sending them on their way.

All of the boys start to get anxious for Shannon's safety as it has been a while and they don't know what is being said on the inside.

"We will go out the back, all the officers are at the front of the building, and we have less chance of getting away then." Trent says grabbing Shannon by the arm and the other offender walks in front of them.

"Guys, they are heading towards the back, take up positions, Dom, Josh head towards the back." Lawson says and they all start moving.

Walking out the door the offender doesn't notice Christian standing there and Christian points his gun at him and says "Drop your weapon, and lie down on the floor, we have you surrounded." Just as Trent walks out with Shannon.

"Shit." Trent says pushing Shannon to the floor and she lets out a cry of pain, while Dom, Michael and Lawson chase after Trent.

Running towards the back, Josh see's Shannon kneeling on the floor looking to be in discomfort.

"Shannon, are you hurt?" Josh asks in to which her reply is to nod her head.


	4. Chapter 4

"Where does it hurt Shannon?" Josh asks.

Shannon just shakes her head trying to gain some composure and holds up a finger to signal just a minute.

"I knew you weren't in the right frame of mind for this job." Josh says.

Hearing this instantly gives Shannon what she needs to hide her level of pain from him. "I'm in the perfect frame of mind, how about you help with handover of these guys while I help Christian pack up here." She says pushing herself up off the ground and giving Josh an angry glare.

"Fine, I need to fill Lawson anyway." Says Josh walking off while Dom walks towards Shannon and Christian who was in the process of handing the guy over to back up.

"How bad are you really?" Christian asks as he starts picking things up.

"Dunno, it bloody hurts though." Shannon says leaning against the wall and closing her eyes.

"You injured Shan?" Dom asks.

"Yeah." She mumbles.

"Where abouts?" Dom asks while gloving up.

Shannon shows him the nasty grazes on her hands and says "it's my legs that hurt the most."

Bending down and ensuring Josh isn't looking over their way he gently rolls up her pants.

"Holy shit Shannon, how did you manage that." Christian says.

"When I ducked down onto the road from the gunshots, I'll be fine." She says as Dom rolls her pants back down and takes off his gloves.

"No you're not, you need to go in the ambulance and get cleaned up at the hospital." Dom says forcefully.

"No, I don't want Josh to hassle me again." Shannon says.

"He will hassle you more when the blood seeps through your pants, go now while his still busy." Dom says.

"Is it really that bad?" She asks.

"Yep."Christian says while nodding his head and looking at her concerned.

"Fine, can you deal with Josh for me?" Shannon asks Dom.

"Yeah can do." Dom says as she slowly makes her way over to the paramedics.

"Dom, Christian, where's Shannon?" Josh asks as he heads over to them.

"Hospital had to treat some nasty grazes to her hands and legs from earlier and get another tetanus shot." Dom says.

"She okay?" Josh asks.

"She's fine, just a little bit of pain, don't worry, she's a tough girl, I'll meet you guys back at base later." Dom says heading to TR1.

"Come on Christian, I'm driving." Josh says getting into TR2 and starting the car.

A little while later while driving around and waiting for another job, Shannon calls Christian.

"Hey, I presume Josh is driving." Shannon says.

"Yeah, how did you know that?" Christian asks.

"I'm psychic, tell Josh I'm ready to be picked up from the Alfred, I'm fine to work, I just can't dive for four hours because of the painkillers, but we only have an hour till our shift finishes anyway." She says.

"Can do Shannon, can do." Christian says as she hangs up the phone.

"Was that Shannon, is she okay?" Josh asks.

"Yep, she is fine, all patched up and they have sent her on her way back to work, just no driving for 4 hours, you know because you're not meant to operate a motor vehicle or heavy machinery." Christian says.

"So she needs us to pick her up?" Josh asks.

"yep, from the Alfred." Christian says with a big smile looking out the window as something hits him.

"What are you smiling at?" Josh asks.

"Oh, you know, it's just such a nice day outside." Christian says knowing it's best not to discuss what he has realized with Josh, he would just have to asks Shannon later in private.

"Hey, so you all good?" Josh asks through his window as he pulls up to Shannon in the pickup zone.

"Yeah I am fine, have you got any jobs?" She asks while hopping in.

"Not at the moment, your weapon belt is in the boot, and Dom has already told Kerry you will need new pants because those ones you got on now are apparently ruined." Josh says.

"Cool.""Shannon says.

"You need to be more careful Shannon." Josh says.

"Sorry, next time instead of ducking down, I will just stand there and get shot shall I." Shannon says.

"Hey, don't get smart with me." Josh says while Shannon just rolls her eyes and lets out a deep sigh as Josh drives out of the hospital.

Getting out of the car at Base, Shannon heads towards the back of the car.

"You aren't unpacking the gear." Josh says placing his hand on top of her arm to stop her.

"Well can I at least grab my belt because I'm not an imbecile.'"Shannon says and Josh lets go of her arm.

"I'm going to take a shower; apparently I am allowed to take a shower because the doctor put waterproof dressing on the wounds." Shannon says walking off and Josh just shakes his head at her.

"Looks like you're in the dog house mate." Christian says before walking off with the gear to put it away.

A little while later Shannon is sitting on the waiting for Josh when Christian goes to his locker to grab his things.

"You heading home to the kids?" Shannon asks.

"Yeah, hey Shannon, I got a question for you." Christian says.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" She asks just as Josh walks in.

"Umm, maybe some other time." He says.

"Okay, if you're sure." Shannon says getting up.

"Yeah, it's not important, I will see ya later." Christian says

"Okay, have a good one." Shannon says walking out.

"See ya." Josh says walking out after her.

"See ya." Christian says.

"What was that about?" Josh asks draping his arm around her shoulder and placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I dunno, he was gonna ask me something but went quiet when you came in." She says wrapping her arm around his waist.

"Probably wants to know if we are dating, surprised Muppet hasn't told him" Josh says getting into his car and she hops in.

"Yeah well Michael has matured a little bit." Shannon says giving him a kiss before he started the car.

"Yeah, I guess so, let's get you home so you can rest up, and I will organize us some dinner, and is your good enough, I will give you a massage and help you relax." He says.

"Oh, maybe I should get injured more often." Shannon says with a smirk.

"No you bloody wont, you had a hard day today, so you deserve a little bit of special treatment." He says pulling up into his driveway and getting out of the car.

Pulling out his house keys and making their way up to his house, he lets Shannon in before him.

Once he has closed the door, Shannon wraps her arms around him and starts to give him a passionate kiss in which he deepens.

Pulling apart she says "Bedroom." In which his reply is to start kissing her again while slowly leading the way to the room.


	5. Chapter 5

After having a shower to wake herself up a bit while Josh slept, Shannon stood staring out the window looking at the sun rise with her towel wrapped around her.

To distracted looking out of the window she didn't notice that Josh had started to stir. He slowly stretched out in the bed before opening his eyes and taking in Shannon's still figure. Staring at her standing there wrapped in nothing but a towel with her back turned to him he couldn't think of a better way to wake up in the morning.

Getting out of the bed he slowly made his way over to her quietly and wrapped his arms around her waist pressing a kiss to her neck before resting his chin on her shoulder and looking out at the view through the window.

"Hey you're up." She said turning around in his arms and giving him a kiss.

"Yeah I am, you had a shower without me this morning." He says with a disappointed look on his face.

"Oh yeah, I woke up pretty early so I decided to let you sleep and I took a shower to wake myself up, sorry." She says kissing his cheek before walking off.

"Doesn't mean you can't have another one." He says running up to her and pulling the towel down.

"Ah shit Josh." She says trying to grab the towel off the floor.

"Hey why are you upset with me?" He says spinning her around while she tries to put the towel back around her and taking in her appearance.

"That's why." She says.

"That's really bad bruising Shannon, no wonder you couldn't sleep."He says.

"I'm fine, I took my painkillers I just need to cover up the sterostrips." She says.

Sensing that she didn't want him worrying about her, he decides to drop the subject for now and says " Well let me know if the pain gets any worse okay, come on let's have a shower." He says winking at her.

"We don't have time to muck around Josh." She says with a small smile.

"I know that, how about I promise we will get to work on time, we will get there early, will you please take a shower with me?" He asks smiling.

"Okay, okay if you promise we will be on time." She says smiling now.

"I promise, now come one we don't have time to waste." He says chasing her into the shower with her squealing and laughing.

Once they had gotten changed they were sitting opposite staring at each other.

"Told you we would get here early, we are here before anyone else, before Lawson even, now that's a record, we should reward ourselves after work." Josh says.

"Yeah well you have to be patient, remember I am going to Christian's to have dinner with him, Annie and the kids." Shannon says.

"Yeah I remember, you're close to him aren't you?" Josh asks.

"Yeah we are, but his like a brother, I never had any siblings you know, and Annie is great, so you don't need to be jealous." She says with a smirk while putting in her earpiece.

"Who said anything about being jealous; I know Christian has a wife so I'm not worried." He says.

"Oh so you trust Christian, but you don't trust me, is that it, well I see how it is, nice to see you think I'm a cheater." She says seriously.

"That's not what I meant, what I meant was…" He started to say.

"Relax Josh, I know you didn't mean anything, you should've seen your face just then." Shannon says laughing while standing up.

"Oh you're so going to pay for that later when you finish up at dinner." Josh says.

"You promise." Shannon says with a wink just as Christian walks in.

"Hey Christian." They both say while Josh is trying to wipe off the smirk from his face.

"Hey guys." He says opening his locker and getting changed.

"So what did you want to talk to me about Christian?" Shannon asks.

"Oh it was nothing." Christian says.

"Was it to do with this?" Josh asks beckoning Shannon to come over. Once she is standing in front of him he pulls her down to sit on him and starts kissing her passionately.

"Clearing his throat, Christian says "Umm, yeah, how long has it been going on?"

"About 6 months, we took a brief break a while ago so yeah." Shannon says

"How come?" He asks.

"It's complicated, it doesn't matter." Shannon says getting up and rearranging her shirt and vest.

"And in over two months I have been here I didn't know." Christian says slightly hurt.

"Yeah sorry about that, we thought you wouldv'e known." Shannon says giving him a hug before walking out.

"Well I know its two months too late but if you ever hurt her, you will have me to deal with and Annie, they are really close, you don't want to mess with a pregnant woman." Christian says.

"Yeah I know, Shannon always talks about Annie, trust me I won't hurt her, not intentionally I promise." Josh says.

"You love her don't you?" Christian asks with a smile.

"Yeah I do." Josh says.

"That's awesome man, I'm happy for you two, you gotta look out for her okay, she's my sister, well not biologically but she may as well be, you have to come to dinner tonight, Annie is cooking a awesome roast and she always makes extra, I will tell her your coming, she will want to meet you, she will be pissed off if you don't." Christian says.

"Count me in then." Josh says.

"Hey Stell, what are you doing here?" Shannon asks seeing Stella sitting on a chair outside Kerry's office.

"Kerry wants to follow up on a arrest I did yesterday, I heard you got shot at and pulled Patterson to safety, thanks for doing that." Stella says.

"No worries, comes with the job you know that, how is Patterson?" Shannon asks.

"Yeah good, it was just a through and through so very lucky, Patterson is going to stop by tomorrow to thank you." Stella says.

"Oh okay." Shannon says.

"How are you after yesterday?" Stella asks.

"I'm good; bit battered but good, where are all the chairs?" Shannon looks up and down the corridor.

"Just sit here." Stella says gesturing to her lap and Shannon sits down.

"Shit, how much weight have you lost woman?" Stella asks just as Josh and Christian walk out.

"Hey find yourself another girlfriend Chubby." Josh says hi fiving her.

"Piss off Scarface, obviously if she wants' to be with me you don't have the goods she needs." Stella says and they all laugh especially at Christian's face.

"Do you um, barrack for the other team?" Christian asks.

"I swing for both." Stella says and they all laugh.

"Oh I didn't know that." Christian says.

"Don't worry there's a lot to me you don't know yet but all in good time my friend, I'm always popping in, gotta check in on this loser over here and Shannon." She says gesturing to Josh just as Shannon's phone rings.

Not realizing the number she frowns for a minute before answering. "Senior Constable Shannon Henry speaking how may I help you?" She asks.

"Well know I didn't know that, well I haven't seen him in ten years, well can't you just tell me now?" She asks with a annoyed tone and taking a breath.

"Yeah okay, I'm sorry I shouldn't have used that tone with you, I will come in at 4, I have work, I may try and get there earlier but no promises, you're lucky I'm coming at all, I just want answers, see you." Shannon says hanging up.

"Who was that?" Josh asks as she gets up.

"The Alfred, apparently dad has been admitted, they wouldn't tell me why over the phone, I gotta go in, I need to find Lawson, I will message you later Josh, I will see you for dinner later Christian, see ya Stell." She says walking off.

"What's that all about?" Stella asks.

"Don't really know." Josh says and Christian shrugs his shoulders.

"Lawson, I need to leave at 3 today please, Dad's in hospital and they need to talk to me about something important even though I don't want to see him." She says.

"That's fine, go any time you want, I know you don't like him and you have every reason to hate him, but you don't want to ignore this and regret it later in life." Lawson says packing the car with Dom.

"Yeah I guess, I need to work though, just keep my mind occupied till 3." Shannon says hopping into the driver's seat.

"No worries." Lawson says hopping into the car as well as Dom and they leave base.


	6. Chapter 6

Arriving at Christian's house, Josh checks his phone to see if Shannon had sent him a message but saw that there was still nothing. Walking up to the front door he knocks on it and is greeted by Annie.

"Hi, you must be Josh?" Annie says giving him a hug before letting him in.

"Yeah, and you must be Annie, it's great to finally meet you, Christian is lucky to have you, pack his meals for him for work, thanks for the sunny boys." Josh says with a smile.

"Oh it's my pleasure, and it's nothing really, I have to pack the kids lunches anyway and it's great to finally meet you, all I hear about is about work and the things you guys deal with, it's nice to put a name to the face." Annie says showing him around the house.

"Yeah, how long till the baby comes along now?" Josh asks.

"Another 15 weeks, and I'm having another girl." Annie says leading Josh to the kids room where Christian is playing with them.

"Oh hey Josh, Shannon still at the hospital then?" Christian asks.

"Yeah, I haven't heard from her though since she told me she was at the Alfred that was just before 4." Josh says getting down onto his knees to play with the kids with Christian.

"This is Dylan and Nicole, Dylan, Nicole this is daddy's friend from work, this is Josh." Christian says.

"Hi." They both say with a smile before focusing their attention back on their toys.

"Do you think it's serious?" Annie asks sitting on one of the beds.

"Nah, we would've heard something otherwise, Shannon would have given me a call, she shouldn't be too much longer, and she looks forward to these dinners." Josh says.

"Yeah I look forward to her coming around here too, I hear you and Shannon are dating, it was news to me today when Christian told me you were coming, you guys kept that well hidden." She says.

We thought you would have already known, it's no secret at work, we just refrain from public displays of affection, it's strictly professional at work otherwise Kerry won't let us work together, it was part of the agreement once she found out about us." Josh says.

"Well don't hurt her otherwise I will hurt you okay." Annie says.

"I have no intention of doing that." Josh says.

"Well do you want a drink; dinner is only 15 minutes away, unless we wait for Shannon." Annie says getting up and Josh gets up to follow her to the kitchen.

"Yeah a drink would be great, Shannon wouldn't want you to wait, and she will have it heated up in the microwave if it gets cold." Josh says.

"Okay, well do you want a beer?" She asks opening the fridge.

"That would be great thanks." Josh says grabbing it from her.

As they all gather at the table they hear a knock at the door and Christian goes and answers it.

"Hey, it's about time you got here." Christian says.

"Yeah sorry it just took longer at the hospital at the hospital then I expected that's all." Shannon says taking off her coat and handing him the wine bottle.

"Well I will pour you a glass." Christian says.

"Thanks, it will just be the one tonight." She says giving Annie and the kids a hug before taking a seat at the table next to Josh giving him a kiss.

"Why just the one glass?" Christian asks.

"I have to drive tonight." She says simply.

"You could always stay the night in the guest room same goes to you Josh." Christian says.

"Yeah we could do that." Josh says.

"I'm not really in a drinking mood tonight." Shannon says.

"What's wrong with you, you never pass up a opportunity to drink?" Christian asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing's wrong with me, it's just been a long day." Shannon says.

"Well stay here the night anyway and just rest up, you don't have to drink, but you do have to dig in before dinner gets cold." Annie says and they all laugh before they start to eat.

A little while later, Shannon helps Annie with the dishes while the boys put the kids to bed.

"So what really happened today Shannon, I know it was more than just a long day." Annie says.

"My dad needs a bone marrow transplant and they need a donor, family have more chance of being a match compared to a donor list, and it takes longer waiting for the a donor from the list, time he apparently doesn't have so they tested me, I should find out within the next 3 to 7 days whether I am a match or not." Shannon says.

"Is it a risky procedure?" Annie asks.

"It can be but the chances of something going wrong are very slim." Shannon says.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Annie asks worriedly.

"Because I don't want Josh to be worried for nothing if I'm not a match, so please just keep it to yourself, and I just want to go home tonight, we will stay over another night, I just need a night in my own bed." Shannon says

"Okay, well keep me posted okay." Annie says.

"I will." Shannon says giving her a hug.

The next day at work Shannon walks into the change room to get ready.

"We need to talk Shannon." Christian says.

"And hello to you too." Josh says.

"Sorry, Hi Josh, I really just need to speak to Shannon, it's just a personal thing, it's about Annie." Christian says giving her stern look.

"Is she okay?" Josh asks.

"Yeah she is fine; I just really need to speak to Shannon." Christian says before walking out.

"I don't think it will take long." Shannon says before walking out to find Christian standing outside the building.

"What's up?" Shannon asks casually even though she knows what it is about as Annie sent her a warning sms this morning that he was on the warpath.

"What the hell is this about you doing a risky procedure to save your arsehole of a farther?" He asks angrily and she rolls her eyes knowing this is going to be a long conversation.


	7. Chapter 7

"Just relax Christian; it's not that bad alright." Shannon says folding her arms and leaning against the brick wall.

"Not that bad, if it's not that bad then why didn't you tell any of us, more importantly why keep it a secret from Josh then if it's not that bad?" Christian says defensively.

"Like I told Annie, I **don't** want to worry any one for no reason, it may not even go ahead, it's not for certain until they get the results from my tests back." Shannon says.

"What you think Josh won't notice the bruising from where you had the test done?" Christian asks.

"No because I already have bruises from the other day so he can't tell, it will just blend in with the others." Shannon says having already factored that into the equation.

"I don't agree with this Shannon." He says.

"Agree with what, keeping it a secret or me having the procedure done if I am compatible?" She asks.

"We know what you went through with your dad throughout your life, I don't understand why you would want to save the arsehole when you don't owe him anything, karma is a bitch and apparently it's finally catching up with him." Christian says.

"Yeah but I signed up to be a police officer to help people, it's what I do for a living, it's a natural instinct, therefore it's a case of why wouldn't I help him out even though I don't want to see him after this at least I can turn around and hopefully say I saved another life." She says with a smile knowing Christian would understand where she was now coming from.

"I still don't agree with this, I'm worried about you Shannon." He says.

"There is nothing to worry about Christian, I am not about to rush into any of it, I will think about it long and hard before I make a final decision." She says reassuringly.

"It already sounds like you have your mind made up." He says.

"Yeah I guess I have, but it could change, I just need to sleep on it, you know what I went through in my childhood so it isn't the easiest decision." She says.

"Promise me you will tell Josh as soon as you find out the results and also let Annie and me know yeah, she is just as worried as I am." He says looking at her with concern.

"Yeah I promise ok." She says

"Ok, I promise I will keep my mouth shut then." He says with a grin.

"Thank you, I really appreciate that, you know I would kick your arse if you did open that big mouth of yours." She says with a laugh and a nudge his way.

"Oi, take that back." He says giving her a light slap across the arm.

"Never." She says laughing.

After about a minute of laughing, Shannon turns around and gives him a big hug.

"What's this for?" He asks taken aback.

"For being a great mate to me." She says pulling away.

"No worries, we better get inside before Josh and the others start to worry." Christian says.

"Yeah we should, race ya." She says and starts running into the Intel office.

"Oi, that wasn't fair, you didn't need that advantage." Christian yells out as he enters the Intel office before receiving a glare from Kerry.

"Nice of you to finally turn up to the briefing Christian." Kerry says.

"Hey it's not like I am the only one late, Shannon was too and where is Michael?" Christian asks defensively.

"Well in the matter of Shannon she was already told off for running in here, but at least she didn't go yelling it out or anything, and she was in here before you, and we are aware that Michael isn't here yet, he will be dealt with later, we don't have all day to wait for him to get to the briefing, if he misses out on vital information then that's his problem." Kerry says while the others snicker.

"Alright, are we ready for the briefing now?" Lawson asks seriously looking around the room and they all start nodding their heads.

Standing outside of the car waiting for Michael to arrive, Josh and Shannon start talking.

"What is taking him so long has anyone called him? Shannon asks.

"I dunno what is going on with Muppet lately." Josh says.

"Well he better pull his head in, Kerry isn't the lenient type and neither is Lawson." Shannon says.

"Yeah well it's his own fault if he gets stuck on general duties and misses out on the info from the briefing; I'm not filling him in if he can't have the common sense to let us know he will be late." Josh says.

"Yeah well you need to fill him in, you're the sergeant and if he is missing important information then it could put us and the team at risk." She says warningly.

Seeing the stare she is sending way and by the tone of her voice, he lets out a sigh and says "Fine, I will fill him in, but he won't be getting away from this without some form of punishment."

"And I don't expect him to." She says just as they see Michael walking in.

"Speak of the devil." Josh mutters to her before yelling out "Come on Muppet get a bloody wriggle on will ya, we been waiting for over 10 minutes for you to get your arse in, you missed the briefing and TR1 are already out on the road, so let's move it, move it."

"Alright Josh, keep your pants on." Michael says walking to the change rooms.

Getting annoyed by Michaels apparent attitude, Josh goes to stride off after him to tell him off but Shannon grabs his arm.

"Just leave it for now; there is no point in a heated argument that will only set us further behind." Shannon says.

"It's not my fault we are behind." Josh says heatedly.

"I'm not saying that but there is no point talking to him when you're both clearly not calm enough to be civil over it." She says just as Michael walks back out.

"Fine." He says angrily.

"Get in the car." She says pushing him towards the passenger seat.

After he has shut the door Shannon walks up to Michael.

"Hey Shannon." He says.

"Hey Michael, you need to make sure you behave today okay, don't give him any attitude, I don't want to deal with you two constantly at each other's throats today." She says warningly.

"Alright Shannon." He says hopping into the back.

"Hey Josh, what did I miss?" Michael asks as Shannon drives out of base.

"Well if you had been at the meeting you would already know." Josh says frustrated.

"Josh." Shannon says.

"Fine, I will fill him in." He says.


	8. Chapter 8

Pulling up at the scene outside the zoo just after TR1, they hop out of the car and Shannon is more than relieved. She has already had enough of the tension in the car and it has only been 30 minutes, she wasn't sure if she could handle it all day so she was hoping this job would help alleviate some of the tension.

Gearing up at the back of the car Josh turns around and says "Now you ready Michael, or do you need to be filled in more?"

"Thanks Josh but I got it." Michael says gearing up and taking up position behind a plant.

"Okay Shannon, I just want you to be careful okay, you know he has a tranquiliser gun that is designed for animals, so don't get too close too quickly." Josh says.

"It's fine, I know what I am dealing with Josh, and we were filled in a lot back at the briefing at base." Shannon says before walking off.

"Alex, I'm here to help you, mine name is Shannon Henry and I am from the Tactical Response unit, you can just call me Shannon okay, I just want to talk." Shannon says while the rest of the team try and move the bystanders away from the area.

"Bugger off i already told them I didn't want to talk, I just want to be left alone." He yells out waving the tranquiliser around.

"I have a clear shot Josh." Michael says into his coms.

"Just hold position Michael, you know we try and talk him down rather than use force." Josh says angrily.

"Yeah well I'm just saying, I'm ready, I can take him down now." Michael says.

"Stand down Michael and that's an order, we are talking him down." Josh says.

"Calm down Josh." Michael says.

"Oi guys that's ENOUGH, how about you just shut your traps and let Shannon focus on the task at hand without you guys bickering in her ear, it's already giving me a headache, and now shut the hell up or I will do it for you." Kerry says into their coms having heard the argument while watching the footage coming through.

"Now Alex, you know I can't leave you alone, we can't risk anyone getting hurt by accident." Shannon says.

"Fine, looks like I'm not going to win this round, but don't even think about coming near me." Alex says pacing around on the footpath outside the office.

"Okay you have my word I won't come any closer than this unless you ask me to, now how about you tell me exactly why you're doing this." Shannon says

"Because they sacked me and now I don't have a job to go to I have a family to support." He yells.

"Okay, I can understand that but do you think it's fair to target innocent people that weren't even involved in this." Shannon says calmly.

"It was the only way they would take me seriously and listen to me, but they still won't give me the payout I am entitled to, he only way they would take me seriously and listen to me, but they still won't give me the payout I am entitled to, the compensation for being made redundant." He yells.

"Okay, but do you think you will get far by threatening them and risking it to go to jail for, it's not going to look good for you if you don't back down, how about that family of yours, how would they feel if they saw you like this right now?" Shannon asks.

"I know but it's so hard I already started but I can't stop, I want to but I can't." Alex says.

"Can I come closer so i can try and help you?" She asks calmly putting her hands up to show she hasn't got a weapon in her hand.

"Okay, you can try." He says as she inches closer.

"Do you trust me Alex?" Shannon asks as the team watches on.

"Yeah I do." He says looking into her eyes.

"Then how about you put out your hand with the tranquiliser facing down so I can take it off you." She says calmly showing no fear.

"I don't think I can." He says shaking his head.

"I promise I will help you okay, we will get you the money and I can get the penalty reduced for the jail time so it is a brief stint but you really need to trust me." She says looking him in the eyes and putting one hand out.

"No I can't do it, I can't" He says shaking his head aggravated and starting to cry.

"It's going to be okay." Shannon says reassuringly as he starts to become more agitated as he is torn as to what to do until a shot is fired into Alex's leg which aggravates him and he starts twirling around shooting the tranquiliser.

"Duck down." Both Josh and Lawson yell out as Christian and Dom duck down and Michael falls onto the ground as well as Shannon.

"Ah shit, he got me." Michael says.

"You're a bloody idiot Michael." Josh yells angrily into his coms.

"Alex, please just give me the gun okay, put it on the floor, it was an accident, and he thought you were going to attack me." Shannon bluffs to him not knowing the real reason as to why a shot was fired.

"You promise I will be okay, even after I shot you?" He asks.

"I promise, it was a reflex, I don't hold it against you." She says while sitting on the floor trying to stay upright by holding herself up with her hands.

"Okay, I'm so sorry." Alex says slowly placing the tranquiliser on the ground and putting his hands behind his back waiting to be cuffed.

Dom runs to Alex and out's the cuffs on him leading him to the ambulance to get his leg looked at while Josh runs to Shannon and Christian and Lawson run over to Michael.

After having pulled Michael up with Christian's help, Lawson says "Christian, go help Josh with Shannon, looks like he need help with taking the gear while he helps her." Lawson says while holding Michael up by the arm.

"If you're sure." Christian says giving Michael a disapproving look.

"Yeah I'm sure, you can ride with them, and this one is coming with me." Lawson says.

"Okie dokie." Christian says before jogging over to Josh and Shannon.

"Hey Shan you okay?" Christian asks helping Josh pull her up and grabbing all the gear both having one of her arms over their shoulders.

"Yeah I'm fine, bit tired and I can't feel my leg at the moment but things are peachy." She says smiling.

"Okay, if you're sure." Christian says.

"Why did Michael fire anyway?" Shannon asks.

"I don't know, Lawson is pissed off bad, think he is having words with him so I didn't ask, stupid idiot." Christian says as Josh takes Shannon and helps her into the back of the car.

"Yeah, I guess no one is happy with Michael at the moment, guess I will get my answer when he comes to the car." Shannon says shrugging while Josh does her seatbelt up and putting her leg up on the seat.

"Ah nah man, Lawson is getting him to ride in TR1 instead, you're stuck with me." Christian says hopping into the drivers sleep and smiling.

"Awesome." Shannon says as Christian drives off.

"Kerry's reaction is going to be priceless, not laughing at your expense, just at Michael, he won't know what hit him; think he will prefer getting tranquilised again." Christian says chuckling and Josh and Shannon can't help but laugh too at this statement.


	9. Chapter 9

"So Michael are you going to explain to me as to why you fired your weapon Michael, why you disobeyed direct orders from your senior Sargent again?" Lawson asks as Dom is driving the car back to base.

"Because I thought the guy was going to shoot at Shannon, he was getting agitated." Michael says.

"And that wasn't your call; it was Shannon, Josh, mine or Kerry's call, but definitely not yours." Lawson says.

"It's not my fault, I was just watching out for Shannon, Josh is an idiot, we should have taken him down straight away then the guy wouldn't have tranquilised Shannon and me." Michael says rubbing his leg trying to get feeling back into it.

"We don't use force straight away unless it is a dangerous situation straight away, you brought it onto yourself Michael, you deserved that tranquiliser, at least your leg isn't as bad as Shannon's so be thankful for that, let's get this clear once again and I don't want to repeat myself anymore, understand this Michael, people die doing this shit and you can't afford to make that worse, you disobeyed a direct order once again, I don't need someone like that on my team, I won't tolerate it Michael not one bit, this is the last time and there are going to be consequences this time." Lawson says animatedly looking through the mirror on the visor of the passenger seat while Dom was shaking his head at Michael through the rear-view mirror.

"Where are we going anyway, we still have three hours to go on our shift?" Michael asks.

"Well we are going to base where you and I will be discussing this with Kerry, your out of action for the next hour with that leg, Shannon is out for at least two to 5 hours minimum no thanks to you, so she will be staying at base recuperating until Josh finishes his shift and can take her home, Christian, Dom and Christian will be going back out onto the road in TR1 for the last three hours of the shift." Lawson says.

…

"You so have to fill us in on what is said by Kerry, she is going to be ropeable, you need to get a recording of her yelling at him, for once I am going to be wishing that I wasn't out on the road for once, I would so rather be at base and watching the explosion." Christian says smiling at her while heading back to base.

"Yeah I want to see the reaction and hear the reason as to why he shot at him, but I don't want to wait around at base to go home, it's going to be boring, I mean Lawson will be annoying me every 5 minutes checking on me and being in a bad mood, Kerry is going to be in a bad mood, Michael well god knows how he will be the only person at base that will be any fun will be Leon but he will probably be keeping busy so that he doesn't get into trouble from Kerry." Shannon says.

"Well I can call Annie to see if she can pick you up or you could get Josh to call Stella first and see if she is free to pick you up." Christian says.

"Hey Josh can you call Stella please and fill her in?" Shannon asks.

"Yeah sure thing." Josh says pulling out his phone and calling Stella.

"Hey Stella." Josh says.

"Oh hello this is Constable Stevens, Stella is currently driving at the moment, just give us a minute so she can pull over." She says and hears Stella talking in the background.

"Hey Josh, is it true that Michael shot at a guy at the zoo and the guy tranquilised Shannon and Michael, it's running through our rumour mill at the moment?" Stella asks.

"Yeah it's true, how long are you working till?" Josh asks.

"I got another 6 hours to go, I can't believe he did that the idiot, well are they okay?" Stella asks through hysterics.

"Yeah they will both live, Shannon is in a worse condition then Michael but he has to deal with Lawson and Kerry, I'm pretty sure they will be dishing out a severe consequence, no one is really happy with him at the moment." Josh says.

"Yeah well I don't blame you guys, tell Shannon I will chat to her after my shift finishes, I really have to go unfortunately." Stella says.

"No worries, chat to you later chubby." Josh says.

"Chat to ya later you wimp." Stella says before hanging up.

"Is she busy working?" Shannon asks.

"Yeah she is, she said she will be talking to you after her shift ends in 6 hours." Josh says.

"Well can you call Annie for me and put my phone on loudspeaker that way she has enough time to get ready and pick Shannon up." Christian says pulling his phone out and tossing it at Josh.

Scrolling through the list he finds Annie's name and dials putting it on loudspeaker.

"Hey honey, how is your day going?" Annie asks.

"It's been an interesting one, how about you, have the kids been good?" he asks.

"It's been a great day, the kids have been well behaved, are you going to be late home today?" She asks.

"No but I need a favour, you're on loudspeaker." He says.

"Hey guys, what's the favour?" she asks.

"Yeah, w

"Well can you pick Shannon up from base in about an hour, she got tranquilised today so she has to go to base, we still have three hours of our shift to go and she won't regain feeling in her leg for another 2 to 5 hours, it's a long story." Christian adds at the end.

"Yeah sure, I will drop the kids off at your mum's and then I will pick her up in an hour." Annie says.

"Thanks hunny, I love you." He says

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too I guess, I will see ya later." She says happily before hanging up.

…

Pulling up at base they see TR1's car there and see Dom leaning against the door.

"Hey guys, I wouldn't go down there, it's starting to get heated." Dom says as they hear Kerry yelling.

"I will just put you on the bench in the locker room so you can rest up that leg." Josh says helping Shannon out of the car and slinging her arms around his neck he lifts her up and carries her to the room.

"They are so cute together." Christian says as he sees Annie walking into the base.

"Hey, where is Shannon?" she asks.

"In the locker rooms." Christian says pointing to his cheek and she reaches up and places a kiss there before he gave her one on the lips.

"Just don't go any further then there." Christian says as she walks away and they all cringe when they hear "YOU'RE A BLOODY IDIOT MICHAEL THERE IS NO EXCUSE."

"Hey Josh." Annie says walking into the locker room as he walks out.

"Hey, thanks for this." He says before walking out.

"Hey Shannon, getting tranquilised on the job now that is a new one I haven't heard of." She says with a smile.

"Yeah I know, Michael got tranquilised too, it's complicated, god I could do with a shower." Shannon says.

"I could help you, getting undressed and helping you in, I can lend you my arm for balance." She says.

"If you're sure." Shannon says.

"Of course, you're like a sister, I am here to help, come on." She says helping Shannon up.


	10. Chapter 10

"Hey Annie, thanks for looking after her." Josh says entering their house while Christian gave her a peck on the cheek.

"No worries Josh, I can't believe that happened though." Annie says leading them into the kitchen and pulling out a drink for them.

"How is she?" Josh asks while Christian looks around the room for her.

"She was pretty tired, so she is asleep in the spare bedroom, she was getting pins and needles in her leg when she went into the room, and she already had a shower with some help." Annie says pulling out dinner from the oven and dishing it up.

"Thanks for that." Josh says.

"You can take a look if you want." Christian says seeing the look of longing on Josh's face.

"Yeah that would be great." He says and follows Christian to the room.

Christian slowly opens the door and they both stand there looking at her sleeping frame.

"She looks like she is wiped out." Christian whispers.

"Yeah I think she will be asleep for a while." Josh says walking backwards so Christian could close the door. Walking back into the kitchen they see that Annie has put dinner on the table and the kids are already eating.

"Hi Josh, Shannon is tired." They said.

"Hey guys, yeah she is sleeping at the moment, she had a big day, did your grandma drop you off?" he asks sitting down at the table.

"Yeah, we had lots of fun, sorry Shannon got hurt today." They said.

"Thanks, she will be okay though." Josh says not knowing how much the kids knew and what they were and weren't allowed to know.

"Okay, eat your dinner and leave Josh alone okay, if you behave I will give you a sunny boy later." Annie says.

"It's okay they can ask as many questions they want, it's kind of interesting to be dealing with them, thanks for letting me have dinner." Josh says.

"That's okay, I put some aside for Shannon for when she wakes up later, she might get hungry, she hasn't eaten for a while, your most more than welcome to stay the night." Annie says.

"Is that okay with the both of you?" Josh asks.

"I wouldn't suggest it otherwise." Annie says.

"It's cool man, plus she is gonna be out for a while man, it's better to let her sleep then wake her up moving her around." Christian says.

"Please stay Josh, please." The kids say beggingly.

"Well just because you asked so nicely I will stay tonight." Josh says as the kids clap their hands with excitement.

"Can you please play with us?" The kids asked.

"Only if you eat all your dinner." He says.

"Promise?" They asked.

"Promise." He says sending them a wink and they started eating their meals in a hurry and didn't say a word.

"They never eat this quickly or quietly, not even when I get home from work and offer to play with them, they must like you." Christian says to Josh as he went to the sink to clean his plate.

"Okay we done, let's play." The kids yell out jumping up and down.

"Shhh, Shannon is sleeping, if you wake her up you won't get to play." Annie says.

"Alright guys, what are we playing?" Josh asks getting out of his seat.

"Come to our room, we can play in there." They said grabbing his hand and leading him to their room.

Laghing at the sight of Josh being dragged around by their kids, Annie and Christian were laughing.

"How was Shannon?" Christian asks.

"Like I said she was just a bit wiped out that's all." Annie says.

"Yeah, what aren't you telling me?" he asks.

"The hospital called, they want Shannon to go in to discuss the results, she think she is a match." Annie whispered making sure that Josh wasn't coming towards them and she heard the kids laughing with Josh.

"But she is okay though?" He asked.

"Yeah she seems okay, but it's Shannon so she keeps a lot bottled up, but she should have feeling back in her leg when she wakes up." She said while they dried the dishes.

"That's good, Michael was looking sorry when we turned up to base, none of us talked to him though, we weren't impressed but he was busy doing something anyway for Kerry." Christian says.

"Well what he did was stupid and idiotic, Josh would have acted if he thought Shannon was in harm's way, surely his seen how protective he can get, from what I have heard from Shannon that is one of the reason's the team worked out they were going out." Annie says.

"Yeah and the fact they had left Dom one day when he was injured to chase after the offender and apparently they weren't too happy with each other, you could cut the tension with a knife and Josh had a punch up with Lawson while on duty in front of other members that were from general duties, that kind of gave it away too." He says as Annie heads to the freezer to pull out the sunny boys and passes them to Christian to cut open.

"Well it's good to see that he looks out for her, just like you would if it were me." Annie says giving him a kiss.

"But that is what I am worried about though, when he eventually finds out about the hospital, I don't think he is going to control his anger towards it." Christian says.

"Well you just have to be there for them, be supportive of Shannon and help pull Josh's head in." Annie whispers as they head to the kids room to give them all their sunny boys.

….

Walking into the spare room later that night when they were all getting ready for bed, Josh strips down to his boxers and slowly climbs into the bed next to Shannon wrapping his arm around her waist and giving her a kiss on the top of her head and resting his chin on her shoulder.

Stirring to Josh's touch, Shannon stretches out and smiles before turning around to face him.

"How are you feeling?" He asks concerned but smiling at the big grin on her face.

"Yeah good, I'm still tired but it looks like I have feeling in my leg again." Shannon says.

"Good, well if you want dinner, Annie put some aside for you to heat up whenever you're ready for it, we are staying here tonight." He says giving her a kiss.

"Well can we just lie together for now, and if I fall asleep then i won't eat, and if I don't fall asleep I will go eat it later, I just really want to relax in your arms for a bit after what happened today." Shannon says looking into his eyes.

"Sounds like a plan to me." He says giving her a kiss before lying on his back. Gesturing for her to rest her head onto his chest, she moves in closer and places her head into the crook of his shoulder and wrapping her arm around his bare torso.

Moving his free arm he grabs her leg and places it over his and she squeals with delight.

"Keep it down, they might hear us and think we are doing something we shouldn't be doing, especially when their kids are in the same house, and I see your only wearing your undies and singlet, I wasn't expecting that." Josh says having only seen her with the blanket draped around her body and not having looked under the covers when he got in.

"Had to get comfortable." She says before moving her head upwards and kissing him passionately drawing their bodies in closer. After a few minutes though, Josh pulls away and says "Shannon, behave." And with that she giggles and rests her head back into the crook of his shoulder smiling and feeling relaxed.


	11. Chapter 11

Arriving at base with Christian and Josh, Shannon walks in and gets changed in the locker room before heading to the Intel office to see if Lawson was there.

"Hey Lawson, can I please talk to you for a minute?" Shannon asks.

"Yeah sure Shannon, what is it?" Lawson asks.

"Is it possible if I start an hour or two later, I got a phone call from the hospital yesterday, they need to talk to me, it's something to do with dad." Shannon says.

"Yeah sure, just give Josh a call when you're done so he can pick you up from there." Lawson says.

"Yeah about that, can I change cars today so you can pick me up instead, just so I can avoid the constant questions." She says.

"So I am taking it that I am the only one that knows about this?" He asks concerned about how she was keeping this quite from everyone else.

"Well no, Christian knows, I just don't want to worry everyone for no reason until I need to, I didn't know what was going to happen." She says.

"In other words you don't want to worry Josh for no reason or get into an argument with him." Lawson says knowingly.

"Yeah, I mean Christian already told me off when he first found out, imagine how Josh would have reacted." She says.

"Okay, but how am I meant to explain the car swap with Josh or the trip to the hospital, we can't exactly turn off our cameras without thinking that something serious is going on and Kerry asking us over our coms, and Leon will open his mouth." He says.

"Okay, with that I was thinking you can just say that you wanted me to get my leg checked out to ensure that everything is fine and that it is better if you pick me up so you can verify it yourself." Shannon says raising an eyebrow enquiringly.

"Alright, I will organise it, just head into the locker rooms and follow my lead okay." Lawson says and she walks back into the room.

… "Hey Shannon, where did you run off to?" Christian asks.

"I just had to go and see if I could find something, I thought I might have left it in the Intel office but I must have left it in the bathroom at my place." She says before sitting down on the bench between Josh and Christian.

After about a minute of sitting there in silence with Shannon reading the newspaper, Lawson walks into the room followed by Michael and Dom running in to get ready.

"Alright Christian, you're in TR1 with Shannon and me, Dom you're with Josh today." Lawson says.

"Why Shannon and Christian aren't with me, that's what was on the roster." Josh says.

"Because I want Shannon to go to the hospital to get her leg checked out to make sure everything is fine with it before she starts work, so it's better if you have Dom, as we will be running one down today as Michael is going to go over operating procedures with Kerry today, followed by some filing and filling out of reports." Lawson says.

"Well okay then, I guess we will be heading out onto the road to cover the East and you guys will do the North?" Josh asks.

"Yeah that hasn't changed, be careful out there today being one down okay." Lawson says.

"Will do, let's go Josh." Dom says before heading out.

"Be careful out there today and have a good day." Josh says giving Shannon a kiss on the cheek before getting up.

"Oh yeah, dealing with law breakers all day, sounds like I will have a blast." Shannon says and Josh smiles to himself as he walks out.

Getting up, Christian, Lawson and Shannon head to the car and get in.

"I'm taking it you're not getting your leg checked out." Christian says knowingly as Shannon drives the car out of base and heads towards the hospital.

"No I am going to find out what the phone call was for; going at the end of work would look more suspicious." Shannon says.

"Well you better let us know when we pick you up." Christian says as Shannon takes a turn.

"Yeah I will." She says.

Pulling up at the hospital, Shannon hops out of the car and turns off her camera as Christian hops into the driver's seat.

"Let us know when you are ready to be picked up and good luck." Lawson says as she walks off and she raises her hand in the air to acknowledge she heard him.

….

"Hi, I need to see a Dr Lee from the transplant team." Shannon says at reception.

"Okay, I will just page her for you, just take a seat and she will come and get you when she is free." The receptionist says with a smile.

"Thank you." Shannon says before heading to the chairs and picking up a magazine.

"Shannon Henry." The doctor yells out.

Putting down the magazine, Shannon gets up out of the chair and follows her down the hall into the lift.

"Hi Shannon, I am Dr Lee, we just need to get into my office so I can tell you what it is about." She says getting of the lift and leading Shannon into her office down the hall.

"Okay, so we are here for your results and they came back as a match, we just want to know if you want to proceed with the procedure, because if you do we need to go over the details." Dr Lee says.

"Yes I am willing to go through with the procedure but I don't want my dad to know that I am the donor, just pretend it is from someone on a donor list." Shannon says.

"If that is what you really want." Dr Lee says.

"Yes it is." Shannon says and Dr Lee starts going into details.

…

A little while later, Shannon is walking into the main entrance and tells Lawson that she is ready to be picked up when her attention is caught by the news on the TV

_**Today at 10am a man carrying what has been reported as a rifle walked into the Primary School and was threatening to cause physical harm to the children and teachers if they didn't leave the building immediately. The school was evacuated and the grounds of the school are in frenzy with parents having to wait outside the gates for their children to be escorted by the local police along with the teachers and this is being done for everyone's safety. There have been reports that there is a class that is being held hostage with apparently 20 children inside with the children. We are still waiting for a confirmation on this and the year level which parents of the children involved will be notified of.**_

_**A member from the police force has stated that there will be counselling for those involved and at the moment they aren't going to make contact with the offender until Tactical response arrive, as this is their area of expertise dealing with hostile situations such as this, they are going to get their highly trained negotiator on this so they can ensure the safety of the children and teacher and resolve this situation effectively.**_

_**More updates will be brought to you as this situation unfolds.**_

With that Shannon bolts out of the hospital just as TR1 pulls up.

Jumping into the back seat, Shannon grabs the laptop from Lawson and starts to read the information coming through.

"I'm taking it you just saw the news, the media is having a field day with this apparently which means they will be waiting for us, general duties and TR2 will keep them at bay and you will need to run in until we can get them back far enough to let the cars in, apparently they are blocking the entrance and it is proving to be difficult to get everyone back, you will obviously be the primary negotiator." Lawson says and Shannon nods.

"Leon, have you got a name for me yet?" She asks.

"I'm just pulling his image off from video footage now; I will put it through the data base and let you know." Leon says.

"Dom and Christian, I know you both have kids of your own so you will find this hardest to deal with, but you need to keep your cool and calm we can't afford to have your heads elsewhere." Lawson says as both cars pull up at the school and sees the massive crowd.

"That's a lot of people." Christian says seeing the crowd surrounding the school.


	12. Chapter 12

Arriving at base with Christian and Josh, Shannon walks in and gets changed in the locker room before heading to the Intel office to see if Lawson was there.

"Hey Lawson, can I please talk to you for a minute?" Shannon asks.

"Yeah sure Shannon, what is it?" Lawson asks.

"Is it possible if I start an hour or two later, I got a phone call from the hospital yesterday, they need to talk to me, it's something to do with dad." Shannon says.

"Yeah sure, just give Josh a call when you're done so he can pick you up from there." Lawson says.

"Yeah about that, can I change cars today so you can pick me up instead, just so I can avoid the constant questions." She says.

"So I am taking it that I am the only one that knows about this?" He asks concerned about how she was keeping this quite from everyone else.

"Well no, Christian knows, I just don't want to worry everyone for no reason until I need to, I didn't know what was going to happen." She says.

"In other words you don't want to worry Josh for no reason or get into an argument with him." Lawson says knowingly.

"Yeah, I mean Christian already told me off when he first found out, imagine how Josh would have reacted." She says.

"Okay, but how am I meant to explain the car swap with Josh or the trip to the hospital, we can't exactly turn off our cameras without thinking that something serious is going on and Kerry asking us over our coms, and Leon will open his mouth." He says.

"Okay, with that I was thinking you can just say that you wanted me to get my leg checked out to ensure that everything is fine and that it is better if you pick me up so you can verify it yourself." Shannon says raising an eyebrow enquiringly.

"Alright, I will organise it, just head into the locker rooms and follow my lead okay." Lawson says and she walks back into the room.

… "Hey Shannon, where did you run off to?" Christian asks.

"I just had to go and see if I could find something, I thought I might have left it in the Intel office but I must have left it in the bathroom at my place." She says before sitting down on the bench between Josh and Christian.

After about a minute of sitting there in silence with Shannon reading the newspaper, Lawson walks into the room followed by Michael and Dom running in to get ready.

"Alright Christian, you're in TR1 with Shannon and me, Dom you're with Josh today." Lawson says.

"Why Shannon and Christian aren't with me, that's what was on the roster." Josh says.

"Because I want Shannon to go to the hospital to get her leg checked out to make sure everything is fine with it before she starts work, so it's better if you have Dom, as we will be running one down today as Michael is going to go over operating procedures with Kerry today, followed by some filing and filling out of reports." Lawson says.

"Well okay then, I guess we will be heading out onto the road to cover the East and you guys will do the North?" Josh asks.

"Yeah that hasn't changed, be careful out there today being one down okay." Lawson says.

"Will do, let's go Josh." Dom says before heading out.

"Be careful out there today and have a good day." Josh says giving Shannon a kiss on the cheek before getting up.

"Oh yeah, dealing with law breakers all day, sounds like I will have a blast." Shannon says and Josh smiles to himself as he walks out.

Getting up, Christian, Lawson and Shannon head to the car and get in.

"I'm taking it you're not getting your leg checked out." Christian says knowingly as Shannon drives the car out of base and heads towards the hospital.

"No I am going to find out what the phone call was for; going at the end of work would look more suspicious." Shannon says.

"Well you better let us know when we pick you up." Christian says as Shannon takes a turn.

"Yeah I will." She says.

Pulling up at the hospital, Shannon hops out of the car and turns off her camera as Christian hops into the driver's seat.

"Let us know when you are ready to be picked up and good luck." Lawson says as she walks off and she raises her hand in the air to acknowledge she heard him.

….

"Hi, I need to see a Dr Lee from the transplant team." Shannon says at reception.

"Okay, I will just page her for you, just take a seat and she will come and get you when she is free." The receptionist says with a smile.

"Thank you." Shannon says before heading to the chairs and picking up a magazine.

"Shannon Henry." The doctor yells out.

Putting down the magazine, Shannon gets up out of the chair and follows her down the hall into the lift.

"Hi Shannon, I am Dr Lee, we just need to get into my office so I can tell you what it is about." She says getting of the lift and leading Shannon into her office down the hall.

"Okay, so we are here for your results and they came back as a match, we just want to know if you want to proceed with the procedure, because if you do we need to go over the details." Dr Lee says.

"Yes I am willing to go through with the procedure but I don't want my dad to know that I am the donor, just pretend it is from someone on a donor list." Shannon says.

"If that is what you really want." Dr Lee says.

"Yes it is." Shannon says and Dr Lee starts going into details.

…

A little while later, Shannon is walking into the main entrance and tells Lawson that she is ready to be picked up when her attention is caught by the news on the TV

_**Today at 10am a man carrying what has been reported as a rifle walked into the Primary School and was threatening to cause physical harm to the children and teachers if they didn't leave the building immediately. The school was evacuated and the grounds of the school are in frenzy with parents having to wait outside the gates for their children to be escorted by the local police along with the teachers and this is being done for everyone's safety. There have been reports that there is a class that is being held hostage with apparently 20 children inside with the children. We are still waiting for a confirmation on this and the year level which parents of the children involved will be notified of.**_

_**A member from the police force has stated that there will be counselling for those involved and at the moment they aren't going to make contact with the offender until Tactical response arrive, as this is their area of expertise dealing with hostile situations such as this, they are going to get their highly trained negotiator on this so they can ensure the safety of the children and teacher and resolve this situation effectively.**_

_**More updates will be brought to you as this situation unfolds.**_

With that Shannon bolts out of the hospital just as TR1 pulls up.

Jumping into the back seat, Shannon grabs the laptop from Lawson and starts to read the information coming through.

"I'm taking it you just saw the news, the media is having a field day with this apparently which means they will be waiting for us, general duties and TR2 will keep them at bay and you will need to run in until we can get them back far enough to let the cars in, apparently they are blocking the entrance and it is proving to be difficult to get everyone back, you will obviously be the primary negotiator." Lawson says and Shannon nods.

"Leon, have you got a name for me yet?" She asks.

"I'm just pulling his image off from video footage now; I will put it through the data base and let you know." Leon says.

"Dom and Christian, I know you both have kids of your own so you will find this hardest to deal with, but you need to keep your cool and calm we can't afford to have your heads elsewhere." Lawson says as both cars pull up at the school and sees the massive crowd.

"That's a lot of people." Christian says seeing the crowd surrounding the school.


	13. Chapter 13

"Alright guys, Shannon you grab whatever gear you can carry, Josh, you guys will need to park the car as close to the school as you can and we are going to do the same, we are going to block off as much as we can and then we are going to get out and help keep everyone back while Shannon runs in, now Shannon when I say run, I mean run okay, you really need to bolt so at least if we can't get through for a while you can try to start negotiating, now we will try our best to get through but until more reinforcements get here it's the best we can do." Lawson says into his coms.

"Copy that Lawson." Josh says as both teams try their best to navigate the cars while Shannon crawls into the boot through the backseat to grab the gear she thinks she will need. Getting back out, she sits up double checks her gear and then looks outside the window as Christian parks the car and she tries to assess the clearest path for her.

"You ready to go Shan?" Lawson asks looking over at her.

"Yep, I know exactly how I am getting through." She says eyeing off her path.

"Okay guys, on my count, one, two, three." Lawson says into his coms and they all get out of the car and tries to get everyone back while Shannon bolts. She blocks out all the yelling she can hear and is sure they want to ask the team questions but she needs to assess the situation now before anything gets out of hand.

Once she is in the toilet blocks to ensure she is out of sight from everyone, she talks to Leon.

"Leon, do you have a name for me yet?" Shannon asks bending down to grab her bulletproof vest out of the bag to put it on.

"Yeah Shannon, it's one Gregory Smith, 32 years of age, recently divorced to the mother of his two kids, the mother currently has full custody of the kids and she is trying to restrict his visiting rights to one day a fortnight." Leon says.

"Do you have a reason as to why?" Shannon asks while pulling out the laptop and some cameras.

"Yeah, apparently he is a bad influence on the kids because he has a drinking problem and until he gets help she doesn't want him near the kids." Leon says.

"Alright, do you know which room he is in and the best way to get there so I can set up some cameras first?" Shannon asks.

"Yep, his in room B5, it's about 150 metres from where you are now, I will send through the map to you now." He says.

"Yep got it Leon, I'm going to go set up the cameras now." Shannon says running out of the toilet blocks and bending down out of sight.

…...

"Lawson, how's it going down there?" Kerry asks seeing some disgruntled faces of parents appearing through their lapel cameras.

"Well it's proving more difficult than I thought it would be, I mean sure they aren't getting violent, yet anyway, we are still waiting for those reinforcements, until they come, we can't do much to help Shannon out, she will be on her own by the looks of it which could be dangerous as she won't have any protection or eyes on her, but at the same time she can't wait too long without taking action, and we don't really know what his capable of especially is he has had a couple of drinks." Lawson whispers into his coms so the parents don't over hear.

"Well VKC are trying to send as many reinforcements as they can but it will take some time." Kerry says.

"Copy that Kerry, we will keep you posted." Lawson says while trying to usher the parents back more.

….

"Okay Leon, have you got the feed yet?" Shannon asks back in the toilet bending down to check the images coming through the cameras.

"Yep got it Shannon, so far it just looks like he may have hit the teacher on the head." Leon says.

"Okay, do you have a phone number for me and his kids name as well as the teacher and the ex-wife?" Shannon asks.

"Okay, I have sent the number through to you now, the kids names are Dylan and Lily, both the age of 6 as they are twins, the ex-wife's name is Adrianne age 30 and we have already been in contact with her and the principal, both have verified the kids haven't been at school today so he is probably thrown off by that, the kids have the chickenpox." Leon says.

"Okay, Lawson how long till you guys get here?" she asks into her coms.

"Sorry Shannon, looks like it will be a while, you're on your own, so be careful, it's all up to you so good luck." Lawson says.

"Is there anything that you would do?" she asks knowing that he would have heard the conversations she has had with Leon.

"I honestly can't say Shannon, I can't see anything therefore I can't really assess the situation, but just take your time, be sure of what you do, and trust your instincts." Lawson says.

"Copy that Lawson." Shannon says before looking at the feed before calling the mobile.

"Hello." Comes the sound of a nervous male.

"Hi Gregory, my name is Shannon Henry, but you can call me Shannon, I'm from tactical response and I'm here to try and help you." She says.

"And what would you know?" he asks.

"I know that both your kids Dylan and Lily aren't in there, they are both at home with the chickenpox with Adrienne looking after them, I also know this is because of the recent filing for restricting your visiting rights, now I know you don't want to hurt anyone, especially all those young kids, it's not fair on them for you to do this, this will only make things worse for you if you don't listen to me and let me help.' Shannon says.

"And what are you going to do to help me?" he asks.

"We will take it step by step, if you cooperate then your prison time will be reduced by a considerable amount." She says.

"You want me to hand everyone over and turn myself in, well I won't let it." He says.

"Okay, I will make you a deal, you let each and every single child go from that room, you can keep the teacher, and then I will come in and we can talk face to face, I may even arrange a phone call to your children if you agree to this condition." She says.

"You have to promise, no tricks." He says.

"No tricks, I promise." She says.

"Because even though I won't hurt these children, it doesn't mean I won't blow out your brains or the teachers if you do the wrong thing by me." He says threatingly.

"I promise okay." She says.

"Okay, I will let the children out now, where should I send them?" he asks.

" Send them to the toilet block which Is opposite the building you are in now, I will take them to where they need to go, then I will come into the room." She says.

"Okay, I'm sending them now, now no tricks." He says before he hangs up.

Having heard the phone conversation take place, Kerry talks to Lawson.

"Lawson how is it going down there?" Kerry asks.

"We have back up now." He says.

"Good, okay you really need to keep those parents back, Shannon is about to get the children and bring them to you, this needs to be in control, we don't want injuries because of a stampede of parents trying to reach their kids, I suggest you let them know this, so send Christian, Dom and Michael to meet her about 200 metres away from the entrance, so they should meet her at F block so they can take over from bringing the kids to the parents." Kerry says.

"Copy that Kerry." Lawson says signalling for the three of them to move it.

….

Seeing the kids running to her in pairs holding hands, she squats down and beckons them to her.

Once she has them huddled around her she says to them "Alright guys, my name is Shannon and I am from a special team for the police, now your safe and your mum and dads are waiting for you all, now you can call me Shan if you want if you have any questions, okay?" she asks.

"Okay." They all say and nod their heads.

" We are going to my to my other friends who work with me, they are called Michael, Dom and Christian but call them Mike, Chris and Dom okay, now I want you all to hold hands in twos' if there is one left over you can come with me okay, you're going to walk in front of me to F block to my friends, then when they take you to your parents you have to go slowly and follow what they say, do you think you can do that for me?" She asks and they all say a collective yes.

"Okay, hold hands now." She yells out and the only girl left goes up to Shannon.

"I don't have a partner Shan." She says looking sad.

"That's okay, what is your name?" She asks.

"Chloe." She says.

"Do you want to do something special?" She asks.

"Yeah." She says excitedly forgetting the drama.

"Well how about I carry you and you can wear my normal vest that I have to wear?" She asks.

"I would like that." Chloe says.

"Okay, but you have to give one of my friends my jacket back before you go home, because I will need it later." Shannon says pulling her other jacket out and making sure it was empty before putting it on her and carrying her in front of her stomach while Chloe wrapped her legs around her and held on tightly.

"Alright everyone, let's make this a fun game, we all have to duck down and walk slowly, like I am." She says demonstrating and they all get excited.

After a couple of minutes of walking she can spot the guys waiting for them.

"Alright guys, there they are, now let's all jog in a line still, andlet's go." She says and they all start jogging and laughing at the same time.

Once the handover had been done, Christian walks up to Shannon.

"Hello, what's your name?" he asks.

Chloe gets all shy and buries her head into Shannon's neck.

"Hey this is my really good friend remember I told you about him." Shannon says to her.

"Is it Chris?" Chloe whispers into her ear and looks up at her.

Shannon nods her head and Chloe smiles.

Putting her hand out she shakes his hand and says "I'm Chloe and your Shan best friend Chris." She says.

"That's right, now I need to take you so Shannon can help the man and your teacher Mr James okay." He says.

"Okay." She says before hugging Shannon tighter and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Good luck and be safe, thank you for saving me and my friends." She says before reaching out for Christian and swapping places.

"I will, remember to do as he says okay." Shannon says.

"Okay." Chloe says.

"Bye Shan." All the kids yell out and wave to her.

"Bye bye." She says waving before turning her back to them and walking off.


End file.
